Miniature room with two tall windows framing a small Cubist painting and a fireplace, two golden scuptures set before the windows. At right, a small red couch is flanked by two Lucite chairs. At left, an open glass door is flanked by oak chaises with red cushions. A plush cream rug fills the space.

A37: California Hallway, c. 1940

c. 1940

United States

Narcissa Thorne was primarily interested in historic interiors, but she also recognized the groundbreaking importance of Modernist architecture. This miniature room is one of the few in which she explored the elegant restraint of contemporary design. She took the extraordinary step here of commissioning original, tiny paintings from renowned Cubist artists Fernand Léger and Amadée Ozenfant, as well as a studio pottery piece by Gertrud Natzler.

Miniature room, mixed media

Art Institute Icons

Women artists

Applied Arts of Europe